Dana Brown May Have Held Out Too Long on Walker and Paredes

If you have been following our coverage of the Houston Astros and read the latest piece on Yordan Alvarez, you already know where this conversation is headed. The lingering and seemingly getting larger question of whether the Astros will move their superstar DH is really no longer hypothetical.

Every loss, every injury update, every lineup card, the questions start to get louder. This week, it has reached a new level. The team is now 16-25, losing five of their last 10. They are holding their own at home, where they are 9-10, but away? Well, that’s 7-15. Trade talk has started, and for good reason.

Alvarez will likely continue to be the headline, because why not? The superstar has single-handedly tried to keep this team afloat.

Looking down just a little bit, though, and what do the Astros actually do with Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes, and that leads to the next question: What could they realistically get back?

The Irony of It All

Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Christian Walker has been a bright spot for an overall bleak team in 2026. Through 41 games, he is slashing .282/.353/.523 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. He is significantly better than he was in 2025. Maybe he is just out to prove his critics wrong? Whatever the spark, the Astros should be thankful he found it.

Well, he had found it. It is too early to say it fizzled, but something happened. His last seven games tell a completely different story, and it’s not a fairytale either. He slashed .154/.185/.269 with just one home run. Could his cold streak have come at a worse time? I think not.

Even if you just ignore the recent slump, which is hard to do, trading Walker away is a complicated situation. He is owed $20 million this season and an additional $20 million next year.

Add to that a limited no-trade clause in his contract that covers six teams, and the market just got extremely narrow.

A 35-year-old first baseman, making $20 million per year, coming off a down year, well that’s not a hot item in the trade market.

Any trade ideas floated have proven just exactly what the reality of the situation is. Walker’s contract limits what the Astros can demand in return.

Overall, Walker is playing his best baseball so far in an Astros uniform, but being able to capitalize on that in the trade market is limited and the time frame is closing in. His contract makes those kinds of talks much harder than they should be.

An Easier Move, But Difficult Timing

Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes | David Dermer-Imagn Images

Ok, so if Walker is a difficult move, then let’s look at Isaac Paredes. On paper he looks attractive. He is 27 years old, under contract for $9.35 million this season with an option for 2027 at $13.35 million. He is a two-time All-Star and capable of playing several infield positions. Contenders are looking for this type of player as the deadline approaches.

The market should be demanding Paredes right now, but, there’s always a but isn’t there? His numbers. The 2026 campaign started off brutal for the infielder. He has found his way back to a slash line of .256/.351/.380 with three home runs and 16 RBI through 36 games.

He has been patient at the plate, but his power is just not there. This guy hit 31 home runs in the 2023 season, and has hovered around 20 the last two years. Now he has hit three with more than a month of play under his belt.

His last seven games are not showing signs of a turnaround either. He slashed .217/.333/.304 with zero home runs.

For a guy who had a lot of trade talk surrounding him in the offseason due to what appeared to be a logjam in the infield, this has not worked out the way anyone really expected.

Correa’s season-ending ankle injury should have taken care of the logjam, and instead, it just revealed the vulnerability of this roster. If a contender is now interested in Paredes, they have to believe in his previous track record and the upside.

Who would be interested? The New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and maybe the Philadelphia Phillies could use infield help. If they are willing to bet on the power coming back, they are looking at a guy who has posted a .377 OBP over the last 15 games and someone that would be under team control through next season. It could be a bet worth making.

Let’s revisit some history, though. Houston passed on everything offered this past offseason. In fact, General Manager Dana Brown repeatedly and publicly stated that the team wasn’t motivated to trade Paredes. They hung their hat on the production Paredes had before a hamstring injury derailed him last year.

So, the price was non-negotiable, it seemed. The market basically said, ok and moved on. Now, has Paredes hit his peak trade value? Or was it at its peak at the end of the 2025 season and now has declined?

Houston had maximum leverage in the offseason and didn’t use it to their advantage. Now, Paredes' power numbers are a fraction of what they were, the roster is in shambles, and the Astros are losing.

The market has changed and Houston’s position certainly hasn’t gotten better. The potential return has diminished and the risk will be how long they hold off on truly significant trade talks.

Which Move Actually Helps Houston?

Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Before we delve into the answer, let’s look at reality a little more. Walker and Paredes are not Houston’s problem. Look at the most recent lineup against Cincinnati on Sunday. Nick Allen at shortstop, Cesar Salazar catching, Zach Cole in center field and then a rotation of replacement-level arms in the bullpen.

The Astros lost 5-0 and managed just three hits. Walker was 0-for-3, and Parédes went 1-for-4.

Trading either or both of these players doesn’t fix the dismal pitching. Houston sits at the bottom of MLB pitching staff stats for ERA with a 5.57 with the Colorado Rockies just ahead of them at 4.84.

Trading them doesn’t bring back Correa or Brown or Hader. What it would do is admit that a rebuild is headed this way and start to convert what little present day production is left into future assets.

This is a calculation Jim Crane, Dana Brown and Espada will have to make before the July 31 trade deadline. That is if Brown and Espada make it that far.

More and more, it is looking like neither one would be a blockbuster move. It would be calculated by adding and restoring a farm system that has been depleted over the years. Walker seems like a harder sell, but his numbers make him attractive. Paredes contract is easier to deal with, but his numbers make him hard to justify.

Tick-Tock Goes the Clock

The trade deadline is July 31. There are 11 weeks for the Astros to decide what kind of team it is really going to be. The AL West is mediocre, that goes without argument. So, yes, it is possible that Houston could turn the Titanic around. A hot streak could potentially put Houston back in the conversation, but the liklihood of this team making the playoffs is diminishing by the minute.

Injuries broke this team. Injuries broke this team in 2025 as well. Roster decisions have added to the problem. It is likely that Walker and Paredes find themselves shipped off to contenders as the season wears on. Alvarez will have to stay behind and watch another season slip away.

What this team gets in return for the current production will say everything about where the front office believes they are headed.

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